A few years ago, while preparing to teach a copy editing course for the first time, I stumbled across a hidden gem in The New York Times digital edition: Copy Edit This!, an interactive quiz that tests readers on grammar and word usage errors from recent Times articles. The Times’s standards editor catches the errors and then explains why they are wrong. Here is an example … [Read more...] about To paywall or not? Young readers provide the answer
Opinion
Southern Illinois media fail to report whole story of Chinese-American professor wrongly targeted by feds
In April 2021, the federal government indicted a Southern Illinois University Carbondale professor under the “China Initiative,” alleging two counts of wire fraud and one count of making a false statement in regards to a National Science Foundation grant application made on behalf of the university. If convicted, Mingqing Xiao could have faced up to 20 years in federal prison … [Read more...] about Southern Illinois media fail to report whole story of Chinese-American professor wrongly targeted by feds
Media outlets need to talk about abortion as self-defense
We need to talk about abortion as self-defense. Terminating a pregnancy as an act of self-defense has been missing from the public conversation, despite media saturation with all manner of news and viewpoints about abortion—from the unprecedented leak of a draft Supreme Court opinion to the striking defeat of an anti-abortion ballot initiative in Kansas and the complications in … [Read more...] about Media outlets need to talk about abortion as self-defense
Journalism educators need to up their game to stay relevant in their own changing industry
For a decade now, I have been teaching journalism without officially having left the business. I keep one foot in journalism because I cannot imagine life without it, which sounds admittedly old-fashioned and also is something I cannot teach. Nor is it necessarily practical. The Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts journalism jobs will decline by 4.8% by 2030. It’s … [Read more...] about Journalism educators need to up their game to stay relevant in their own changing industry
New democracy editor position at Associated Press should be model for all newsrooms
By Jackie Spinner The Associated Press recently announced that it was creating a new position for a “democracy editor.” It tapped a long-time AP veteran and state government editor for the position. When Tom Verdin, who is in Sacramento, steps into the new role, he will oversee coverage of stories about voting rights and election processes. In making the decision, … [Read more...] about New democracy editor position at Associated Press should be model for all newsrooms